film on water

[orphansparrow]

Hello,

Since I moved to a town less than an hour away, Hoshi's tank water gets really gross in about 2 - 3 days.

A clear/white film develops on the surface of the water, and gradually spreads until it is solid across the whole surface.

It looks clear, but when I scrape at it with something, it sort of folds and crumbles into a milk-white substance. It literally looks like water that has frozen over, and then you can sort of scrape the "ice" off. :s

What is this, and how can I get rid of it? This has never happened before, so it must have to do with the new water source, although I have heard it has the same mineral content as the water in the next town over....

Thanks for any help.

[Moclam]

That happens to me at times. What I normally do is get some paper towel, and lay it over the surface of the water. Then I carefully lift it up on both sides, and throw it away.

[orphansparrow]

Thanks moclam, yes i do that too.

i just wondered what the heck is causing it, and if there is a way to get it to stop?

[emeraldsky]

Its a protein film caused by water being still and stuff in the water. You can get rid of it by having something stir up the water, such as a filter or by using a paper towel to soak it up like Moclam said c:

[orphansparrow]

Originally Posted by emeraldsky

Its a protein film caused by water being still and stuff in the water. You can get rid of it by having something stir up the water, such as a filter or by using a paper towel to soak it up like Moclam said c:

okay, so there must be more protein in the water at my new apartment huh? interesting.

[LunaticFringeInc]

Yep emeraldshy is right. Its a surface layer of protien build up.

This is a common issue with Saltwater tanks which require pristine water conditions for success. There are a number of ways we deal with it. Frequent water changes, High Volume water circulation, Protoein Skimmers, surface skimming filters, or in Reef Ready tanks, a wet/dry filter (water is skimmed from the surface by a over flow tube allowing it to drian below the tank into the wet dry filter below the tank where its filtered and then pumped back in the tank). In the wet dry filters there is often a section called a refugium where lots of macro algae is kept that will absorb a lot of nutrients from the water and minimize the formation of the protien slick.

Most of these arent practicle on the small tanks Bettas are kept in. Frequent water changes, the paper towel trick are about the only two methods that would work on small fresh water tanks. When I do water changes I will usually use a soda bottle and just partcially submerge it so that it pulls in water from the surface removing much of the slick. I will then add fresh replacement water.

[callistra]

Only time I had this happen was when my boy shed his slime coat.. I have bettas in still water all the time and no build up. My one boy developed this during slime coat shed and it was -exactly- like you described.. I don't know about it being stuff in the water as I have no experience with this but I'd really make sure the water parameters are good.

How big is the tank and how often/what type of water change do you do?

[Jodah]

depending on the size of the tank, you could do a surface skimmer mod to a hob filter if you're handy. I did it to my red sea nano, and it cleared and keeps crystal clear water perfectly.

All it takes is some cpvc (1/2") 2 elbows, and a union. very easy to make. hardest part is adapting the cpvc to the filter's intake.